


Charmed

by nymphori



Series: 1001 ways to be romantic [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-23 05:45:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6106855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nymphori/pseuds/nymphori
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>81-1:</b> send a special note along with special flowers</p>
            </blockquote>





	Charmed

He didn’t know why he agreed to come. He has been so good at ignoring it, at pretending that it hadn’t happened; then one phone call and suddenly Keiji found himself agreeing to a date. He had been charmed, drawn to the way Kuroo had kept calling it a job application, drawn to the way Kuroo had called where Keiji was headed for now not a date, but a job interview. Calling it an interview makes it harder though.

Does he dress up because it’s called a job interview? Even if it’s only at a cafe?

Does he dress casually because it’s a cafe? But then what if Kuroo showed up dressed for a job interview?

It isn't even a real job interview, why is he thinking these things?

Keiji dresses casually in the end, as otherwise it would be no different to the way he dressed at work, and Kuroo had specifically said that this was to get to know each other, better, _personally_ , outside of work. Although if he’s being honest Keiji still expects this to be some kind of joke. He would have ignored it and pushed it heartily from his memory had Kuroo not phoned him to carry out a ridiculously one sided conversation.

Keiji had agreed to get Kuroo to shut up.

Keiji had agreed because he was curious.

Keiji had agreed because he was interested in Kuroo’s claims of cooking and comfort and mutual benefits.

Keiji had agreed because he wanted to do this thing.

Keiji had agreed because he wanted to at least try.

It could be fun, Kuroo had claimed that it would be. It would be nice some days to invest his time and energy into someone else. At best Keiji would find someone he could grow to love and cherish, and at the worst Keiji figured that he would find himself a new friend. He didn’t see this turning out any worse than that. He knows that he is being optimistic, he vows that he will stay optimistic. Optimism is the key to everything.

 

 

Keiji arrives at the cafe, and does not see Kuroo anywhere. He did arrive five minutes early, but still he had thought Kuroo would be here. Is it no longer common courtesy to arrive to a date fifteen minutes early? He will have to remember that information for next time. Keiji waits elsewhere, in the bag shop across the road. He doesn’t need a bag, doesn’t want a bag, but it's far better than waiting awkwardly outside for Kuroo to arrive or sitting inside with a drink and doubting whether Kuroo is even going to show up.

When Keiji spies the unmistakeable mop of hair through the crowd, held above the other pedestrians littering the walkway he breathes out a sigh of relief. Optimism was only a goal, an ideal; he had still believed in the possibility of Kuroo being a no show.

He counts to fifty in his head when he sees Kuroo walk through the door. It would be obvious that Keiji has waited for Kuroo to show up, but he is hoping it won’t be too obvious. He thinks that a quick arrival makes more sense than waiting around for another five minutes. This way he will be arriving right on time, as Kuroo has. If it happened again Keiji will aim to be there later, now that he knows Kuroo doesn’t follow what Keiji had always believed to be proper date protocol.

It has been too long, maybe things are different now. As adults maybe there isn’t some inherent need to spend fifteen minutes waiting around doing nothing. Their time is more valuable now. Keiji has much to learn apparently.

The thing he had the most to learn about now is Kuroo. The rest can wait until later and with any luck he won’t need to know it for the future.

 

 

A bell rings over the door as Keiji steps in and a wave of heat greets him before he can make his way further in. He moves to take his jacket off and then he allows his eyes to roam. Another way to pretend that he hadn’t been watching, that he hadn’t been waiting.

With his jacket is folded over his arm, Keiji finally takes a proper look around the cafe.

It’s smaller than Keiji would have expected from the outside. Only a few tables spread around the room and the same number of booths fill up the windows. There are only two tables with armchairs around them and Keiji finds Kuroo at one of them, who winks when he notices Keiji looking.

Do people still wink? Was that a thing that they did? Keiji thought winking was left to teenagers and strangers across bars, men in movies who are trying too hard to be mysterious and those strangely sensual ads for toilet paper. He doesn’t really see the point or attraction of the action when he is already here for a date.

An interview.

Kuroo has a pile of paper in front of him, and, Keiji has to wonder if the whole premise of this being a job interview is going to continue. He hopes not. The application that Kuroo had given him had been charming in it’s own way, but Keiji doesn’t want to continue the theme. He doesn’t want to think that Kuroo is going to try and tell Keiji even more about himself so soon - after all, isn’t that the point of them dating? Even worse Keiji doesn’t want to think that Kuroo has some shady contract he wants them to sign. He’s read those horrible books, as everyone had at the time, and it had been a terrible experience. For him reading and for the poor girl in the story who thought that was love.

Keiji is not going to sign a contract in order to have a relationship. If the suggestion is even brought up, he will leave.

 

 

“I took you for the arriving early kind of guy Akaashi, but you’re right on time.”

“I was actually surprised to find you here already Kuroo-san, you strike me as the kind of person to arrive fashionably late.”

“If you had arrived early as I expected then maybe in comparison I would have been fashionably late.” 

“I’m happy that I got breaking your expectations of me out of the way early then.”

Kuroo smiles, and Keiji takes it as an invitation to sit. Kuroo neatly collects the papers from the table and tucks them first into a folder and then into a bag that Keiji hadn’t seen him carrying. He finds himself breathing a sigh of relief that the paperwork had nothing to do with him. He also scolds himself for jumping to conclusions way too soon.

“Sorry, I have a friend in town for the week and we haven’t seen each other in months.”

Keiji understands now. If Kuroo can get some work done in the pockets of time between everything else then he can have more time to himself during the week. Longer lunch breaks, going out for drinks for morning and afternoon tea instead of queuing up with everyone else to use the one coffee machine the department provides for them in the break room. If Keiji’s friends actually worked closer to him so that they could meet up for lunch during the week, he would consider doing the same thing.

“Good friend?”

Kuroo had been smiling before, but not like this. It’s softer, gentler, it opens up his face and makes him look younger. It makes Keiji think that this must be what Kuroo is like when he’s not trying to get a rise out of someone, it’s nice to know that not every quirk of Kuroo’s lips looks like it’s hiding a secret. “Best friend.” He says, voice soft to match his smile. Keiji can’t help but feel his own mouth stretch to mirror it. 

“Now.” Kuroo emphasises, changing the mood. He leans forward with his elbows on the table between them. “To business.” Keiji feels his mouth drop back into it’s natural line. “Why do you look terrified? We’re at a cafe, order something.”

With food and drink on the way Kuroo leans forward against the table once more.

“How was the conference?”

“Are you really going to start this off by talking about work?”

Kuroo shifts and looks to the side, actually looking sheepish.

“Right, that was actually not a good move. No work, no work.” Kuroo chants to himself and Keiji watches the way his face seems to play as he tries to come up with a topic of conversation unrelated to work. “Food!” He ends up shouting. “You like food!”

“I think most people like food Kuroo-san.”

“What’s your favourite food?”

Keiji suddenly feels twelve years old, introducing himself to his homeroom class in junior high. Are favourite foods something that people still care about into adulthood? Keiji has an answer, sure; but he still finds that a conversation that now seemed destined for favourite foods, and colours, and movies, can only be described as juvenile.

“ _Nanohana no karashiae_ is my favourite.”

Kuroo’s eyes actually light up in recognition. “Oh, you must be excited then!” Keiji has no idea what he is supposed to be excited for. It hadn’t been a dish on the menu, at least not as far as Keiji had seen. Had it been on the dinner menu? Keiji didn’t look at that one because it's still early in the afternoon. Perhaps he should have looked. “It’s almost the season for it!”

It is, but that doesn’t mean much. Keiji has the karashi mustard at home; always readily available. The only part he doesn’t get to eat year round were the actual nanohana. He still eats close to his favourite meal regularly. The season coming up isn’t necessarily exciting. It's not the same making it for himself now as it had been when he was younger, running home from school and seeing the budding plants on the kitchen bench - that had been something to look forward to.

“Do you have a favourite restaurant you go to for it? We could try it sometime!”

“Already planning ahead?” Keiji questions. Kuroo only smirks in reply, daring Keiji to ask why Kuroo is so sure about a future meeting between them. Keiji isn’t going to play that game. “I don’t have a favourite restaurant that makes it, I usually make it myself.”

“Oh a man who can cook!”

“Of course I can cook.” Keiji replies. “Everyone can cook, not everyone can cook to the same ability, but everyone can cook.”

Kuroo shakes his head, laughter dancing behind his eyes even as his lips stayed locked in a smile. “Not everyone can cook. Some people become such a hazard, to innocent kitchen appliances and to less innocent body parts and to people who only wanted to eat, not cry tears for what once were perfectly functioning taste buds - that they get banned from stepping near a kitchen at all costs.”

“And you know someone like that.”

“My poor mouth has never recovered.” Fear flashes through Kuroo’s eyes now, and Keiji has to admit that he is curious to hear more of the story. “So if I’m ever wary of you stepping into a kitchen please don’t get too mad, I still have flashbacks sometimes and it’s terrifying.”

Keiji can only laugh behind his hand. He definitely wants to hear more of the story. “Kuroo-san, it was you who promised to woo me with food. I don’t plan on cooking for you any time soon. At least not until you have proved your worth.”

 

 

Keiji finds the time to pass pleasantly, so different to the way his interactions with Kuroo usually passed. He doesn’t have to sit through sly smiles or dramatically raised eyebrows; even the winking seems to have been a one time thing. Really, it has been so pleasant that Keiji should really have expected Kuroo to do something which changed that.

It isn’t even that it's a change to change the date into something bad.

It's just that Kuroo had appeared to be so normal.

After talking like teenagers meeting for the first time rather than as people that _appeared_ to be adults the conversation had seemed easier, smoother. Keiji had devoured his drink and a cake - because what was the point of a first impression that was a lie? - and then also gone up and to order a savoury scroll to tide over the sweetness coating his tongue.

Somehow two hours had passed before Kuroo looks to his watch, swearing and apologising because he is meant to be across the city for something in an hour.

He runs up and pays for their food before Keiji even has the chance to offer to pay for his share. He doesn’t necessarily mind, he finds the gesture charming. Keiji also finds himself thinking that word a lot: Kuroo is charming. It is charming to watch him race back to the table and dig out his bag from underneath while uttering more apologies. It is charming to see Kuroo bring out another bag that Keiji hadn’t noticed before, tall and stuffed with cellophane.

“For you,” Kuroo offers the bag to Keiji. “Sorry for cutting this short, but I’ll talk to you sometime in the week and we could do this again maybe?”

In a rush, and already late to leave, this is the first time that Keiji has seen nervousness pass over Kuroo’s features. This is the point where Keiji either agreed to all of Kuroo’s statements, or rebuffed the man himself. If Keiji says that he doesn’t want to do this again, then Kuroo will leave him alone. They will go back to being friendly acquaintances, minus the looks that Keiji now knew had meant something else, they weren’t all in his head.

He had been watching for them, and now he wants to know if Kuroo’s cooking is everything that he had bragged about in his job application. He wants to know the story behind Kuroo’s kitchen nightmares, and he wants to know what Kuroo’s favourite things are now that Kuroo knows his.

“I’ll be waiting.”

Kuroo smiles, bows his head in one last silent apology and then he is gone.

Keiji is still seated at the table, tall gift bag in hand. He opens it to find a flower inside, two flowers. They are deep red and tied with a bow and a card, which Keiji reaches for.

 

                      _I’ve got tulips waiting for you._

 

Keiji feels the blood rush to his face, and is glad for Kuroo leaving, so that he doesn’t need to see the effect of his gift, of his silly little pun, or is it a pick up line?

Keiji is well and truly charmed.


End file.
